Caitlin and Antonio promised to spend the rest of their lives together in front of friends and family at the lovely Markovina Vineyard Estate. Their day was filled with love and joy, with photos capturing the happy couple enjoying every moment and blissfully in love.
Caitlin mesmerized in Anniston Marie by Maggie Sottero, a satin ballgown featuring a ruched sweetheart bodice and a full, dramatic skirt completed with classic covered buttons. She added our Italian satin cap sleeves to complete her bridal look, along with our AB pearl veil for a shimmering, elegant touch.
Keep scrolling to explore more gorgeous images, read about Caitlin’s wedding dress journey, and discover her advice for future brides. Enjoy!
What was it that made this particular wedding dress catch your eye and fall in love?
The style of it just felt right to me—I had never imagined my wedding day growing up and never had a vision of what dress I wanted. I did think, however, that since this was the one day I could make any decision I wanted, “Why not look like a princess?” I fell in love with the princess gown style and started trying on more dresses that fit this description. The fabric of the dress I chose, as well as the fit, was perfect not only for my body shape but also my personality.
Tell us about your search for the dress and the experience at Astra Bridal.
I wouldn’t change a single thing about my journey with Astra Bridal! Having been to several other bridal stores, I can say that Astra was the most welcoming, calm, and fun environment. Ilyese helped us with every appointment—I went in not knowing what I really wanted, so she guided me through a range of different fits, fabrics, and styles so that I could find exactly what I was after. This process was so much fun, seeing what felt like “me.” It was during my last appointment that I saw a beautiful, sparkling princess style dress and decided to try it on for fun. I absolutely fell in love with it—but the sparkles were not quite me! Ilyese disappeared out the back and brought out the same dress in a beautiful shade of white, and as soon as I tried it on, I knew that was the one!
Tell us your story, how you both met, and the proposal.
Antonio and I met through our friend group just over four years ago at a restaurant after work. We talked a little bit, but Antonio was moving to Queenstown in a month for work, so at first, we didn’t think much of getting to know each other. Once Antonio had moved, we started talking more, and our first date was when I had a week off between two jobs and headed down to Queenstown for a little holiday! Antonio had booked a lovely hotel, and we had a five day long first date.
We got engaged on a family holiday (with my family) in Hawaii—just after sunset, on the beach, before the Friday night fireworks. It was very romantic and made the holiday so memorable. I could definitely tell something big was about to happen—Antonio doesn’t have a nervous bone in his body, and he was very quiet that evening! We traveled back to Hawaii a year later for another holiday and also had some engagement photos taken.
What was your favourite part of the day?
It’s so hard to choose a favourite part of the day—we were both so nervous during the ceremony, but after our first kiss, we felt calm and ready to fully enjoy the day! Our first dance was beautiful, and we had so much fun partying afterward with all of our friends and family.
Tell us about your wedding day as a whole.
Our wedding day was truly magical - it was a beautiful, clear day and the perfect temperature for the start of summer. I was so nervous getting ready in the morning, but our hair and makeup team were so calming and had great energy! My bridesmaids and mum were always checking in on me, and dad was on breakfast duty. It was such a special morning, and then we headed to the venue in a white limo, which was so special!
Right before walking down the aisle is when the nerves really hit me - all I could think of was, “Don't trip over!” After our ceremony, we had canapés and photos done, and popped a bottle of champagne. We had some speeches at the start of our reception, and after dinner (which was delicious!) we went onto dancing. I don't think we really left the dancefloor for the rest of the night!
Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
My biggest piece of advice is to NOT listen to all of the advice you see—you’ll come across so many “Don’t Forget!” articles for your wedding day and the lead up to it, and this just makes your checklist of things to do and remember longer and longer. Half of the things I thought I needed to remember on the wedding day, I completely forgot, and now I laugh about it because they weren’t really necessary! I just focused on being present in the moment and enjoying myself—at the end of the day, that’s really all that matters. Essentially: don’t stress the small stuff!
